Sonnie Johnson is a 29 year old woman who has had enough of governmental interference. Don’t call her African-American, call her black — the description she prefers. She was born and raised in Richmond, VA and was taught “I was supposed to be a Democrat and I believed it.” Prior to the election of Obama, she began to involve herself in politics. “Not only did I realize that I was not a Democrat, but I was very conservative.”
She brought God, her culture, lessons learned in the past and history with her into the political arena. Since then, she has been re-teaching herself history and forming her own conclusions on what she thinks government should look like.
Johnson is going to be the keynote speaker at “An American Celebration,” an event sponsored by the Roanoke Tea Party and Fox Radio 910 on Sunday, July 4th. The event will be held at Elmwood Park from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. It is free and non-partisan and all are invited.
The Celebration will be equal parts celebration, education, discussion and fun for all, including children’s activities, games and prizes. In addition, there will be a re-creation of Patrick Henry’s historic “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” address and a full reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Johnson, the Virginia President of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, was a runaway hit at a previous Tea Party event and was asked back to share her reflections on being an American citizen. Tea Party member John Lawless said, “She was an absolute smash hit at our April 15th rally and everyone loved her from the start. She told me beforehand she was nervous as a cat, this being her first speaking engagement for the Frederick Douglass Foundation. I think everyone can relate to her story of rising from humble beginnings, but never feeling she was deprived or mistreated.” Johnson relates that her biological mother is a crackhead.
Johnson says that “God led me kicking and screaming into the political arena and I just have to see what He has in store for me.” She says that “blacks have been living the last 40 years with government intrusion and it is time to stop.”
She thanks the civil rights workers for their tireless work in the past, but thinks it is time for them to retire and let the next generation do their thing. “We face new issues now. I never experienced riding in the back of the bus and all my school classes were integrated.”
The Maggie Walker Initiative is a new project for Johnson, with its goal being to compare and contrast what our communities were like when we had a true limited government. She explains that Richmond was once known as “The Black Wall Street” because it was built by blacks and they owned and ran their businesses there. Mrs. Walker was founder and CEO of what is now Consolidated Bank and Trust in Richmond. She stated the NAACP and Democrats came into that area of Richmond, took over and turned Wall Street into the projects.
Johnson feels she is being ignored by the mainstream media and while she takes it personally, she warns them not to take her lightly. She says Republicans celebrate her and Democrats ignore her because she exposes the Democrats’ role in erasing black history. She pointed out that the Democrats changed the name of the Maggie Walker Governor’s School to just the Governor’s School and are ignoring the history of blacks in the area. “Blacks suffer under big government and the Tea Party helps us fight back.”
Johnson believes the Democrats push a “victim mentality” on black people. “Life is not fair to anyone and you have to learn to play the cards you were dealt. Look at Jay-Z, he used to be a drug dealer and now he is a hip hop star and business owner. Look at Michael Steele; he rose to head the RNC. I do not support Obama because I love my country and it is worth fighting for.” She wants people of all color to find positive figures in life and work hard because it is liberating.
Next up for Johnson is an appearance in a documentary by Citizens United about Michelle Bachman. She also runs the blog didshesaythat.com.
